With the widespread popularity of user equipments (UEs) such as internet-enabled intelligent terminals, people begin to use the UEs to perform a large amount of data services. In recent years, the data service traffic of operator networks is growing fast. In order to adapt to this trend, operators and equipment manufacturers begin to actively consider a variety of methods for reducing the burden of the operator networks. A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a wireless access technology, and a WLAN technology may be used for providing a higher transmission rate and is considered as beneficial supplement to wireless wide area networks deployed by the operators. In airports, manufacturers and other hot spots, the WLAN technology allows users to perform the data services via WLAN, thereby reducing the burden of operator core networks.
At present, many operators have deployed WLAN networks in airports, stations, hotels and other hot spots to offload the data traffic of UEs. In these existing deployment solutions, the operators generally deploy WLAN into an open mode, and any UE may be accessed to a WLAN node. When the UE is to be accessed to the internet, the WLAN node redirects the UE to a specific web page, and the UE may be accessed to the internet after a user corresponding to the UE inputs a correct user name/password on the web page.
Since the WLAN node works under the open node, no secure connection is established between the UE and the WLAN node, and data between the UE and the WLAN node is transmitted in a plaintext mode, thus resulting in poor communication security between the UE and the WLAN node.